International
Afghanistan: First Plant to Produce Renewable Energy Inaugurated in Herat
Sep 17, 2017
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MIddle East North Africa Financial Network
The first ever plant solar to produce 2mw energy through wind and sun was inaugurated Sunday in Herat province. The contract of the plant was…
Myanmar: Water, Sanitation Crisis: Roadside Refugees Suffer the Brunt
Sep 17, 2017
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Pinaki Roy and Mohammad Ali Jinnat, Daily Star
Tens of thousands of Rohingyas, who are staying either in the open or in makeshift tents by the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway, hardly have any drinking…
Iraq: War and Dysfunctional Politics Threaten Iraq’s Marshlands
Sep 16, 2017
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Economist
The recovery of southern Iraq’s marshlands is arguably one of the great environmental triumphs of recent times. Reduced to dust and withered reeds when Saddam…
Afghanistan: Millions of Hectares of Land Remain Uncultivated in Afghanistan
Sep 16, 2017
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Zabihullah Jahanmal, TOLOnews
Officials from Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) said Afghanistan has 7.5 million hectares of arable land but only a small portion of the…
Middle East: Future Wars in Mideast Probably on Water: Iranian Diplomat
Sep 16, 2017
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Iran Front Page
Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi says the issue of water, water resources, coping with water scarcity, as well as…
Iraq/Kurdistan: OPEC's Second-Biggest Producer Could Possibly Split in Two — And Start an Oil War
Sep 15, 2017
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Sam Meredith, CNBC
An oil-rich province in the north of Iraq plans to vote in a referendum on Kurdish independence later this month, prompting fears of regional conflict…
Food Security: World Hunger Worsens as War, Climate Shocks Hit Food Access
Sep 15, 2017
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Agnieszka De Sousa, Bloomberg
The number of people suffering from hunger last year rose at the fastest pace since at least the beginning of this century as conflicts and…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Kurds to Vote on Independence Despite Region's Fears
Sep 14, 2017
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Associated Press
Iraq's Kurds vote this month on whether or not they support independence for their enclave in the country's north, a step toward their long-held dream…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Western Powers Press Iraq Kurd Leaders to Shelve 'Very Risky' Independence Vote
Sep 14, 2017
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Raya Jalabi and Ulf Laessing, Reuters
The United States and Western allies pressed Iraqi Kurdish leaders to ditch a “very risky” independence vote on Thursday, presenting an alternative plan in an…
Iraq: Tribal Clashes, Political Void Threaten Oil Installations in Iraq's South
Sep 13, 2017
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Aref Mohammed and Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters
Worsening clashes among tribes and a political void is threatening security at oil installations in Iraq’s main southern oil producing region, officials and security sources…
Urbanisation-Led Sand Shortages Fuelling Violent Conflict and Environmental Disasters
Sep 13, 2017
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Cameron Jewell, The Fifth State
Sand and gravel are now the world’s most extracted materials – surpassing fossil fuels – but overexploitation and shortages are fuelling violent conflict and leading…
Bangladesh: Rohingya Refugees Crossing into Bangladesh Face Another Threat: Land Mines
Sep 13, 2017
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Annie Gowen, Washington Post
More than 300,000 members of Burma’s Rohingya ethnic minority have poured into Bangladesh in recent days, after a brutal military crackdown that the U.N. human…
South Sudan: Corruption Plagues South Sudan and Threatens the Growth of Its Oil Industry
Sep 13, 2017
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Paul Ilado, Star
Many major international oil companies that had entered into EPSAs with the pre-independence government in Khartoum have found it difficult ,if not impossible, to negotiate…
Colombia: Colombia's Ex-FARC Guerrillas Are Training as Coffee Growers and Baristas in Cauca
Sep 13, 2017
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Sorrel Moseley-Williams, Independent
“I want Colombia to be different,” says Jhon Benavides, an aspiring barista and, from the age of 14 until last year, a guerrilla in the…
Afghanistan/Iran: Iran, Afghanistan to Launch Joint Project to Restore Hamun Lake
Sep 13, 2017
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Iran Front Page
Head of the Wetlands Office of the Iranian Department of Environment, Arezoo Ashrafizadeh, said Iran and Afghanistan are working together on a joint strategic plan…
South Sudan: War-Ravaged South Sudan May Scrap Expensive Oil Subsidies
Sep 12, 2017
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Denis Dumo, Reuters
War-ravaged South Sudan is considering scrapping state subsidies on oil because it hasn’t been able to pay civil servants for four months and diplomatic staff…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdish Independence Vote Draws Ire in Baghdad
Sep 12, 2017
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Chase Winter, Deutsche Welle
Iraq's parliament on Tuesday voted to reject a Kurdish independence referendum planned later this month, raising already simmering tensions between Baghdad and Erbil that could…
Afghanistan: More Effort Needed to Minimize Impact of Climate Change
Sep 12, 2017
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Nabeela Ashrafi, TOLOnews
Drought and soil erosion as a result of climate change could further destabilize Afghanistan, environmental experts warned on Tuesday. This comes as scientists report that…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Oil Revenues Real Motive for Kurdistan Independence Vote
Sep 10, 2017
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Press TV
Sa’ad al-Muttalibi believes the leader of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, has been using the referendum to further blackmail the political system in the country…
Afghanistan: Grape Farmers Expect Bumper Crop This Year
Sep 9, 2017
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Zabihullah Jahanmal, TOLOnews
According to the ministry, this is an increase of more than 15 percent against last year. MAIL spokesman Lotfullah Rashid said Afghan farmers will earn…
Iraq: Iraq's Killing Fields: The Lethal Legacy of Landmines – in Pictures [Photos]
Sep 8, 2017
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Sean Sutton, Guardian
After decades of conflict, Iraq has been left littered with unexploded booby-traps. The Mines Advisory Group has spent 25 years in the country working to…
Afghanistan: 22 Irrigation Canals to Be Built on Amu River
Sep 7, 2017
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Zarmina Mohammadi, TOLOnews
Officials from the Ministry of Energy and Water said on Thursday that 22 water canals will be built within the next five years to irrigate…
South Sudan: South Sudan President Sacks State-Owned Oil Company Boss
Sep 7, 2017
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Reuters
South Sudan President Salva Kiir has sacked the head of national oil company Nilepet, according to a government decree. Managing Director James Thelweng Mathiang Rok…
Iraq: Cash-for-Work Initiative Aims to Develop Iraq's Agriculture Sector
Sep 7, 2017
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Mina Aldroubi, The National
Iraq’s humanitarian crisis remains at alarming levels as years of conflict has left millions at risk of food insecurity. As the violence continues to force…
Colombia: Continental Gold Invests in Colombia-Based Agricultural Development Programme
Sep 6, 2017
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Samantha Herbst, Mining Weekly
As part of its sustainability strategy, TSX-listed exploration and development company Continental Gold will contribute about $370 000 towards a programme developed to support agricultural…
Afghanistan: Afghanistan Issues Tenders for Three Hybrid Solar Projects Totaling 55 MW
Sep 6, 2017
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Emiliano Bellini, PV Magazine
Afghanistan’s National Procurement Authority has issued three tenders for the construction of three hybrid solar power plants with a combined capacity of 55.5 MW. One…
DRC: Protecting Livelihoods is Key to Mining the DRC’s Riches
Sep 6, 2017
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Nelson Alusala, Institute for Security Studies
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the potential to become Africa’s richest economy, going by the quantities of its natural resources. At the…
DRC: Resource-Rich DRC Losing U.S.$1.3 Billion Every Year in Unpaid Taxes
Sep 6, 2017
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James Anyanzwa, East African
The Democratic Republic of Congo is losing up to $1.3 billion in revenue each year due to a failure by public bodies, tax agencies and…
Peru: Six Farmers Shot Dead over Land Rights Battle in Peru
Sep 6, 2017
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Dan Collyns, Guardian
Six farmers have been shot dead by a criminal gang who wanted to seize their farms to muscle in on the lucrative palm oil trade,…
South Sudan: South Sudan Army Downplays Rebel's Threat to Stop Oil Production
Sep 5, 2017
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Julius Gale, African Independent
South Sudan's army, Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), on Tuesday vowed to provide adequate security to oil workers and facilities in the northern region, after…